’Hong Mian? What does that mean? It doesn’t sound very impressive at all. It’s nothing like badass code names such as "Wolf Fang" or "Ghoul"! Now *that’s* what suits the aura of a Soldier King, right? Or maybe Hong Mian refers to the red kapok flower? That seems plausible.’ Hearing this name, Shen Yibin’s mind started to race.
’Huh, that’s strange. Normally, Shi Gaofei gets all wary when a stranger approaches. Why isn’t he reacting at all to Red Hair’s presence? Could her affinity score with Shi Gaofei be above the passing mark?’
’Finding an owner for Cheeky was exhausting. Then with Egg, Sakai Kaori just showed up on my doorstep. Is it going to be the same for Shi Gaofei now?’ The thought made Shen Yibin zone out. He completely forgot that Hong Mian was standing right in front of him, watching. After waiting a moment and getting no response, she prompted him gently, "Mr. Shen? Mr. Shen?"
"Oh, sorry, I was just lost in thought." Shen Yibin quickly reached out and gave Hong Mian’s hand a light shake. "You’re here to..." ’She must be that special person Bai Yanni told me about, right?’
"I happened to see them taking these police dogs to the provincial capital for a competition recently. They won quite a few first-place titles, so I came over out of curiosity. It was only after I got here that I learned it’s all thanks to you, Mr. Shen." As Hong Mian spoke, her gaze remained fixed on Shi Gaofei, her interest in him obvious. Shi Gaofei stared back at her blankly, his own thoughts a mystery.
"It was an accident. A complete accident." ’I just wanted Shi Gaofei to have an outlet for his energy so he wouldn’t torture himself all day. I never expected this kind of result.’ As he spoke, Shen Yibin walked with Hong Mian over to the training grounds. He unclipped Shi Gaofei’s leash and let him into the training area. ’Well, since she wants to watch, I’ll let her. This is a good chance for me to see what her affinity score with Shi Gaofei is.’
Normally, the moment Shi Gaofei entered the training grounds, he would lunge at the police dogs like a wild dog off its leash. Today, however, he just kept staring at Hong Mian.
"Go get ’em!" Hong Mian raised a fist, cheering Shi Gaofei on. At her words, Shi Gaofei’s spirits soared. With a ferocious cry, he pounced on the poor police dog. In a few short moments, he had it whimpering and scrambling away in defeat. The whole thing took less than half the usual time; Shen Yibin hadn’t even managed to get his phone out yet.
’Damn, is he on stimulants today or something? Why is he so hyped up?’ Shen Yibin was getting a bad feeling. As the second pair of police dogs entered the training grounds, he quickly opened the affinity test app, surreptitiously pointed it at Hong Mian and Shi Gaofei, and began the test.
Hong Mian seemed to notice something. She glanced back at Shen Yibin for a split second before returning her attention to Shi Gaofei’s thrashing of the poor police dogs.
"Client has some experience in feeding and caring for military dogs. Possesses the basic qualifications to care for a pet. Category score: 20. Client score: 15." ’The first category looks pretty good.’
"Client has undergone extremely professional and rigorous training. Physical strength, endurance, and combat skills are far superior to the average person. An excellent match for this pet. Category score: 20. Client score: 20." ’Holy crap, a perfect score on this one.’ Shen Yibin couldn’t help but glance at Hong Mian. ’You’d never guess it just by looking at her.’
"Client is in excellent physical health and maintains a habit of regular exercise. Has sufficient energy to care for a pet. Category score: 20. Client score: 18." ’That’s 53 points already!’
"Client’s financial situation is good and can fully satisfy the pet’s daily living needs. Category score: 20. Client score: 12." ’Okay, that brings it to 65 points.’
"Client has a stubborn personality. Once a decision is made, she will not rest until her goal is achieved. This is a perfect match for the Mongoose’s temperament. Category score: 20. Client score: 20!" ’65 plus 20 is 85. That score is even higher than Cheeky’s was with Sun Qian at the very beginning. Could she really be Shi Gaofei’s destined owner?’
Shen Yibin couldn’t help looking back at the training grounds. Shi Gaofei had just won again with ease and was now grinning and fawning over Hong Mian.
’Damn it! I’ve raised you for so long, trained with you every single day, and scoured all of Yunzhong City to find snakes to feed you, but you’ve never acted like this with me! This is the first time you two have ever met, and you’re already like this! The envy is killing me.’
’Wait a second. Let me check Shi Gaofei’s price. A special forces soldier’s salary can’t be that high, right? Maybe she has the affinity score, but she won’t be able to afford him.’
With that thought, Shen Yibin checked Shi Gaofei’s price. The result was a glaring 222,222.22 yuan. It was just one digit off from Hah’Er’s original price. ’Is this the system’s way of calling Shi Gaofei a doofus, just like Hah’Er? To be fair, the little guy really does act like a complete doofus no matter how you look at him.’
’That should settle it. I can’t believe a soldier would be willing to spend this much money on a pet.’ For some reason, Shen Yibin felt a sense of relief, which he himself found strange. In the past, whenever one of his pets found the right owner—be it Cheeky with Sun Qian or Egg with Sakai Kaori—he had always been overjoyed. Why was today different? ’Is there some problem my subconscious has picked up on that I haven’t realized yet?’
And so, for the rest of the training session, Shen Yibin remained in a daze. One moment he’d consider asking Hong Mian if she wanted to buy Shi Gaofei, and the next he’d dismiss the idea. He paid no attention to the action on the field whatsoever.
Shi Gaofei was on a divine rampage today. He utterly crushed every participating police dog in less than half the usual time, leaving the trainers deeply embarrassed. Just moments ago, they had been celebrating their dogs’ excellent performance in the competition; they never expected Shi Gaofei to pour a bucket of cold water on their parade.
The look on his face seemed to say, ’You scrubs have a long way to go.’ The trainers looked at one another, completely at a loss for words.
Hong Mian, who had been watching silently from the side, gave a slight nod. She seemed very satisfied with Shi Gaofei’s performance. After watching him for another moment, she strode over to Shen Yibin and cut straight to the chase. "Mr. Shen, what will it take for me to buy this Mongoose of yours?"
’So domineering,’ Shen Yibin thought. ’She didn’t even ask if he was for sale.’ Under her intimidating gaze, Shen Yibin grew nervous. And yet, for some reason, an uncontrollable impulse made him blurt out, "I’m sorry, but I can’t sell Shi Gaofei to you."
Instantly, Hong Mian’s gaze turned icy. She stared fixedly at Shen Yibin.